Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-05-06
FORT WORTH.
Promising City and the Country
Around and About it-History
Of Fort Worth.
Al Texas Political Economist OF an Original
- sort-The Typical Things to See in
"a Northern Texas.

{ FORT WORTH, TEX, April 28.-Fort
Worth is one of the busiest cities in
Northern Texas. 1t is only within the
past six years that the town has devel-
oped, but in that short time its popula-
ton and interests have increased five hun
dred fold.
In 1853 military post was located on
what is now the site of the city and sew
eral regiments were stationed here. In
honor of General Worth, of Mexi=
can war fame, the post was
named Fort Worth. In those days the
northern part of the great Lone Star
state was inhabited largely by the un-
tutored red man, and when he emigrated
the post was abandoned. From that date
until 1876 the town was very small and
! insignificant but in that year Tom Scott
and mis- Texas Pacific railroad came, and
with it prosperity and advancement.
| From 1876 dated the real history of Fort
| Worth.
After the Texas Pacific came the Mis-
souri, Pacific, the Houston and Texas
Central, the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe,
and lastly and most important of all, a
direct connection with the great Santa Fe
system, and the commercial metropolis of
the West-Kansas City.
Fart Worth possesses one great boon
which God in His infinite mercy has not
| bestowed upon every Texas community.
She has the finest artesian waters of any
town in the state. 1t is the delight and
! Joy of every citizen and it certainly is
very excellent water.
At Fort Worth is located the largest
wholesale house in Texas. 1t is the
grocery house of j. 81. Brown. The
building in which the business is trans
acted is very large one and the arrange
ments for carrying a heavy stock are ad-
mirable. The stock now carried is val
ued at S4OO, 900.
This city is the county seat of Tarrant
county, and the country in the immediate
vicinity of the town is most beautiful.
! The valley of the Trinity river is one of
the prettiest spots in Texas.
! interviewed number of Fort Worth
| business men and they one and all stated
that they were very glad that at last an
opportunity was t. be afforded them to
open up communication and trade with
the merchants of Kansas City. A great
many OF them stated that they had been
trying for a number of years to attain
this end, but they were unable to do so,
Towing to the Missouri Pacific discrimi-
flation in favor of st. Louis. At
lKeathefford, a city of 5000, thirty miles
Westpf Fort WORTH, met characteristic
citizen of the Texas of years gone by. He
was q doctor and owned 1000 acres of
Il land in the immediate vicinity of
Weatherford, which town is about to be
connected with the Gulf-Santa Fe system
by branch line which is being built out
from Cleburne.
l ventured to remark to the doctor,
after being introduced, that when the
co Meeting branch was completed it
would be very important thing for
Weatherford, as it would give the town
direct connection with Kansas City, and
also at the same time give it competing
line with the Texas Pacific.
The doctor slowly turned his guild of
tobacco around to the other side of his
8face, and gazing steadfastly at me, he
said: ooh! we folks out this way don't
care much for railroads. All we want is
grass"
I proceeded to remark that it had long
been demonstrated that railroads devel-
oped and built up a community more than
any other one thing possibly could.
With look of witherlng scorn the doc
tor turned to me and said:
| Is Ou0 LILLE VIC Will
this country. There are about ten times
too many people here" and then, as if he
were not contented until he had COM
pIetely crushed me, he said: "Then we
| have got too much capital here. This
gives property and live stock fictitious
value and in the end kills community"
This argument was the first of the kind
| have ever heard. It is fair to state that
| the learned doctor of medicine is not a
representative citizen of the Texas of to-
day. He is just and even twenty-five
years behind.
| A great craZe has for number OF years
past existed in this part of Texas to raise
/ Angora goats. In numerous counties
large ranches are devoted to them. The
wool which this animal grows is worth
about So cents pound. When the goat
growing industry was first introduced
| here an Angora goat could not be had for
| less than $40, but now you can get that
same animal for So. But while
1.-THE value of the animal has de-
| creased the price of the woel remains the
same as it was before. This is rather
strange, but true.
At Fort Worth I met several Kansas
| City gentlemen who are largely interested
in real estate here. AS matter OF
| course, these parties, like true Kansas
| Cityans, are Masking things warm. Take
true Kansas City man, who has lived
there any time during the past ten years,
and wherever you fad them down here IN
Texas they are genuine. They excite
surprise and wonder at the hands of the
native Texan, but they never have known
such word as fail, and are rapidly grow
ing rich.
Fort Worth is the largest cattle market
in Texas, and Kansas City will receive
large shipments of stock from this point.
The stock yards here have capacity of
nine train loads days and are kept quite
busy.
There is another point in Northern
Texas which is going to receive large
shipments from Kansas City. Dallas is
the place referred to. Fort Worth and
Dallas ere rival towns for supremacy in
this portion of the state. At present the
towns are very evenly matched, and their
| DrOSDects are ahout tho same for the